As the Fall semester gains momentum, a shared feeling amongst people my age becomes increasingly apparent. The feeling of trying to get things done, but never believing like it is enough. 

How can we when there is another impending deadline looming over our heads as soon as we meet the one from before? Whether that is related to school, work, extracurriculars or any of the other personal demands we must keep up with, we are always on the go. As we are constantly moving on to the next task to complete, we can end up feeling incomplete with who we are as people. This psychological mindset of feeling like a phony in our own skin can lead to imposter syndrome (IS).

When it comes to this phenomenon, it can take all shapes and forms which makes it difficult to recognize. People with IS feel an impending fear of being humiliated if they fail or do worse than the people around them, which may increase the fear of being exposed as a fraud. These interrelated fears can cause individuals with IS to over-prepare because they feel they need to put more work into reaching certain goals than others, thus they may feel like imposters. Even when they over prepare, they cannot seem to recognize those efforts as their own internal qualities such as knowledge and dedication. Instead, they consistently deny their abilities and competence. 

It does not help when most of our time is spent in environments where not only are we working towards our goals, but so are others. Many of us even share almost identical aspirations that are not easy to attain, which can foster unintentional competitive dynamics between peers. Simultaneously, we constantly find ourselves comparing our progress and achievements to those of others, which only feeds into the feeling of being a fraud. While we readily acknowledge the success of those around us and uplift them throughout the process, we struggle to recognize and appreciate our own accomplishments. This persistent self-doubt consuming our minds, regardless of our achievements, only makes IS harder to deal with. 

However, once we can acknowledge that we experience these feelings, we can begin to address them so they do not dictate our lives. One strategy is to try to realistically assess our abilities by writing down our accomplishments and skills. Then, we can compare this self-assessment with our perception of ourselves.This exercise often helps individuals establish that their achievements result from their own capabilities rather than external factors. 

Another useful approach is to use social media moderately since the overuse of this can lead to constant self-comparison to others, who may present themselves in a manner inconsistent with their authentic selves. This disciplined effort to combat feelings of inadequacy and not meeting up with perceived standards decreases the imposter sensation within ourselves. 

Ironically, as I am writing this, I feel like a fraud myself. At times, it is less prominent, but during busier months it can dominate my self-perception. However, I have been learning to navigate this sense of incompetence that occasionally clouds my mind. One way that works for me is appreciating any accomplishment – no matter how small – by rewarding myself. Whether it is buying an item I have been wanting or enjoying a movie night with my siblings, the reward serves as a reminder that my achievements belong to me and are the result of the work I put in. This habit fosters gratitude within me, which helps me enter my next task with a positive mindset.

I understand that at our age it can be easy to get lost in the fast-paced lifestyle that comes with being post-secondary students. I know it will not be slowing down any time soon, especially since many important deadlines are coming up that will determine our grades for the semester. With assignment after assignment, the pressure that comes with needing to ace each one can lead to IS taking the wheel when it comes to how we navigate our academic lives. However, to prevent a pessimistic-slump-like-burnout, we should continuously celebrate our small victories along with the bigger ones. We get so caught up with honing in on our failures, that we do not properly relish in every one of our successes.

In doing so, you will come to realize that there was never an imposter within your skin to begin with.